Coming to Abide in Tsewa

One of the most basic unhealthy habits is that we easily let our mind get disturbed. Since a disturbed mind is a poor atmosphere for tsewa [tender, or warm-heartedness], we need to create favorable conditions intentionally for our mind to be more clear and calm. It’s amazing to see how different our mind can seem when it’s relatively still. Getting to this state may involve sitting on a meditation cushion, or going to a park bench during our lunch break. An effective method is to sit still, count twenty-one breaths, and then look into our heart. This will create a good atmosphere in our mind. If we do this regularly, we will become better at noticing when our mind is becoming disturbed and our heart is starting to shut down. Gradually, this will help change our habitual pattern of getting thrown off so easily. Then our self-imposed [disconnection from tsewa] will become less inevitable. But this all has to begin with a clear intention to create a favorable state of mind. If we simply leave it to chance, the tendency to get disturbed again and again will win out.